It appears Phil Jackson’s demands were too much for the Lakers and they have moved on with Mike D’Antoni as their new head coach.
Mike D’Antoni signed a four-year deal with the Lakers. Phil Jackson was “asking for the moon,” accoring to source familiar w/ the situation.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 12, 2012
This has been confirmed by several sources. In the end Phil Jackson’s demands of a salary ranging from $10 to 15 million, say in personnel decisions, choosing his HEIR and skipping certain road games was too much for the Lakers.
D’Antoni’s familiarity with Steve Nash and free flowing offense is what eventually got him the job. Lakers management thought his system would be better for Nash and Dwight Howard than the Triangle.
I know Lakers Fans are disappointed they didn’t get Phil Jackson, but I think they will be pleasantly surprised with D’Antoni.